Convicted North Texas murderer Billy Chemirmir killed by cellmate in prison, officials say
Convicted killer Billy Chemirmir, who was serving a life sentence without parole, was killed in a Texas prison Tuesday morning.
No specific information has been released about how Chemirmir, 50, died. But his cellmate, who also was sentenced on a murder charge, is accused of killing him, officials said.
Hannah Haney, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said in an email that Chemirmir was found deceased in his cell early Tuesday morning.
He had been imprisoned at the Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, about two hours southeast of Dallas, since May 2022, she said.
“The victim’s cellmate, who is serving a sentence for murder out of Harris County, was identified as the assailant. The Office of Inspector General is investigating,’ Haney said in an email to the Star-Telegram.
The cellmate was not identified.
Chemirmir’s attorney Phillip Hayes said in a statement to WFAA-TV that, “Despite how you feel about him, no one deserves to be murdered in prison.”
Chemirmir was charged with killing 22 women in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He had been convicted in two of the cases and was sentenced to life without parole. He was found guilty in April 2022 of capital murder for smothering 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris and he was also convicted in October for killing Mary Brooks, who was 87.
Investigators have said that he preyed on women who were older — many of whom lived in senior apartment communities in Dallas and Collin counties — and stole their jewelry after killing them.
This story was originally published September 19, 2023 at 11:10 AM.